Vehicle servicing system

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for addressing a user-reported vehicle condition are provided. In one example embodiment, a method includes receiving a service request for a vehicle service for a user. The service request is indicative of a location associated with the user. The method includes sending first control signal(s) to an autonomous vehicle that is configured to provide the vehicle service. The first control signal(s) indicate that the autonomous vehicle is to travel to the location associated with the user. The method includes receiving a communication indicative of an existence of a condition that reduces a suitability of the autonomous vehicle to provide the vehicle service. The condition is identified by the user. The method includes determining action(s) to be performed by the autonomous vehicle based, at least in part, on the existence of the condition. The method includes sending second control signal(s) to the autonomous vehicle to perform the action(s).

PRIORITY CLAIM

The present application is based on and claims priority to U.S.application Ser. No. 15/378,894 having a filing date of Dec. 14, 2016,which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to addressing user reportedconditions of an autonomous vehicle.

BACKGROUND

An autonomous vehicle can perceive its surroundings by using varioussensor apparatuses and determining its position on the basis of theinformation associated with its surroundings. This can allow anautonomous vehicle to navigate without human intervention and, in somecases, even omit the use of a human driver altogether. However, the lackof in-person human oversight can potentially reduce the opportunity torecognize problems associated with the autonomous vehicle.

SUMMARY

Aspects and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will beset forth in part in the following description, or may be learned fromthe description, or may be learned through practice of the embodiments.

One example aspect of the present disclosure is directed to acomputer-implemented method of addressing a user-reported vehiclecondition. The method includes receiving, by one or more computingdevices, a service request for a vehicle service for a user. The servicerequest is indicative of a location. The method includes sending, by theone or more computing devices, one or more first control signals to anautonomous vehicle that is configured to provide the vehicle service.One or more of the first control signals indicate that the autonomousvehicle is to travel to the location. The method includes receiving, bythe one or more computing devices from a user device, a communicationindicative of an existence of a condition associated with the autonomousvehicle that reduces a suitability of the autonomous vehicle to providethe vehicle service. The condition is identified by the user. The methodincludes determining, by the one or more computing devices, one or moreactions to be performed by the autonomous vehicle based, at least inpart, on the existence of the condition associated with the autonomousvehicle. The method includes sending, by the one or more computingdevices, one or more second control signals to the autonomous vehicle toperform one or more of the actions.

Another example aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a systemfor addressing a user-reported vehicle condition. The system includesone or more processors; and one or more memory devices, the one or morememory devices storing instructions that when executed by the one ormore processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations.The operations include receiving a service request for a vehicleservice. The service request is indicative of a location. The operationsinclude identifying an autonomous vehicle to provide the vehicleservice. The operations include sending one or more first controlsignals to the autonomous vehicle indicating that the autonomous vehicleis to travel to the location. The operations include receiving, from auser device, a communication indicative of an existence of a conditionassociated with the autonomous vehicle. The condition reduces asuitability of the autonomous vehicle to provide the vehicle service.The condition is identified by a user. The operations includedetermining one or more actions to be performed by the autonomousvehicle based, at least in part, on the existence of the conditionassociated with the autonomous vehicle. The operations include sendingone or more second control signals to the autonomous vehicle to performone or more of the actions.

Yet another example aspect of the present disclosure is directed to oneor more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media storingcomputer-readable instructions that when executed by one or moreprocessors cause the one or more processors to perform operations. Theoperations include receiving a service request for a vehicle service fora user. The operations include identifying an autonomous vehicle toprovide the vehicle service to the user. The autonomous vehicle isincluded in a fleet of vehicles of a service provider. The operationsinclude receiving, from a user device, a communication indicative of anexistence of an adverse condition associated with the autonomousvehicle. The condition is identified by the user. The operations includedetermining one or more actions to be performed by the autonomousvehicle based, at least in part, on the existence of the adversecondition associated with the autonomous vehicle. The operations includesending one or more control signals to the autonomous vehicle to performone or more of the actions.

Other example aspects of the present disclosure are directed to systems,methods, vehicles, apparatuses, tangible, non-transitorycomputer-readable media, user interfaces, and memory devices foraddressing a user-reported vehicle condition.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of various embodimentswill become better understood with reference to the followingdescription and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which areincorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrateembodiments of the present disclosure and, together with thedescription, serve to explain the related principles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Detailed discussion of embodiments directed to one of ordinary skill inthe art are set forth in the specification, which makes reference to theappended figures, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts an example system for addressing a user-reported vehiclecondition according to example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 depicts an example service queue according to example embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example user device according to exampleembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a graphical representation of a vehicle in ageographic area according to example embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5 depicts an example adjusted service queue according to exampleembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 depicts a flow diagram of an example method of addressing auser-reported vehicle condition according to example embodiments of thepresent disclosure; and

FIG. 7 depicts an example system according to example embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments, one or moreexample(s) of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example isprovided by way of explanation of the embodiments, not limitation of thepresent disclosure. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in theart that various modifications and variations can be made to theembodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the presentdisclosure. For instance, features illustrated or described as part ofone embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a stillfurther embodiment. Thus, it is intended that aspects of the presentdisclosure cover such modifications and variations.

Example aspects of the present disclosure are directed to addressing anadverse condition of an autonomous vehicle that is reported by a user.For instance, a service provider can use a fleet of vehicles to providea vehicle service to a plurality of users. The fleet can include, forexample, autonomous vehicles that can drive, navigate, operate, etc.with minimal and/or no interaction from a human driver, as will befurther described herein. The service provider can coordinate theautonomous vehicles to provide the vehicle services of the serviceprovider (e.g., transportation, courier, delivery) via an operationscomputing system. For example, the operations computing system canreceive a service request (e.g., for transportation) for a user andselect an autonomous vehicle to provide the vehicle service to the user.When the autonomous vehicle arrives at the user's location, the user maynotice an adverse condition associated with the vehicle. For example,the user may notice that the vehicle is dirty, damaged, and/or otherwiseless (or not) suitable to provide the transportation services to theuser. The user can notify the service provider of the vehicle'scondition by sending a communication (e.g., via the user's mobile phone)to the operations computing system. The operations computing system candetermine one or more action(s) to be taken by the vehicle based, atleast in part, on the existence of the condition. For example, if thevehicle is too dirty for the user to ride in the vehicle, the user canreject the vehicle and the operations computing system can send acontrol signal to cause the vehicle to travel to a maintenance locationfor cleaning. Moreover, the operations computing system can coordinateanother autonomous vehicle to provide the vehicle service to the user(e.g., to transport the user). In this way, the operations computingsystem can address adverse conditions of an autonomous vehicle that areidentified and/or reported by a user.

More particularly, a service provider can use a fleet of vehicles (e.g.,ground-based vehicles, aircrafts) to provide a vehicle service such as atransportation service (e.g., rideshare service), a courier service, adelivery service, etc. The fleet can include autonomous vehiclesconfigured to operate in one or more mode(s). For example, an autonomousvehicle can operate in a fully autonomous (e.g., self-driving)operational mode in which the autonomous vehicle can provide driving andnavigational operation with minimal and/or no interaction from a humandriver present in the vehicle. The autonomous vehicles can be configuredto provide the vehicle services of the service provider.

The service provider can utilize an operations computing system tocoordinate the fleet of vehicles to provide the vehicle services to aplurality of users. The operations computing system (e.g., a cloud-basedserver system) can be configured to communicate with the computingdevices of the vehicle and/or the users (e.g., user devices). Forinstance, the operations computing system can receive a service requestfor a vehicle service (e.g., transportation) for a user. The servicerequest can be indicative of a location associated with the user (e.g.,a pick-up location). The operations computing system can identify anautonomous vehicle to provide the vehicle service to the user. This canbe done based, at least in part, on one or more service queue(s) thatcan be utilized to match available vehicles with requesting users. Thiscan also be done based, at least in part, on vehicle location. Theoperations computing system can send one or more control signal(s)indicating that the autonomous vehicle is to travel to the locationassociated with the user. As such, the vehicle can travel to the user'slocation to provide the vehicle service to the user (e.g., to pick-upthe user for transportation).

The user can identify a condition associated with the autonomousvehicle. The condition can be an adverse condition that reduces asuitability of the autonomous vehicle to provide a vehicle service tothe user. For instance, the condition can alter the appropriateness,ability, capability, state, performance, etc. of the autonomous vehicleto provide the vehicle services to the user and/or can affect (e.g.,negatively) the user's experience with the vehicle. The user mayidentify the condition before and/or after entering the vehicle orreceiving a vehicle service from the vehicle (e.g., while riding in thevehicle). In some implementations, the condition can be severe,rendering the autonomous vehicle unsuitable to provide the vehicleservice to the user. For example, before entering the vehicle, the usermay identify that the interior of the autonomous vehicle is very uncleanto the point that the user would not be willing to ride in the vehicle.In some implementations, the condition can be less severe, reducing (butnot eliminating) the vehicle's suitability to provide the vehicleservice to the user. For example, while riding in the vehicle, the usermay identify that a window of the vehicle is cracked. The user canprovide user input to a user device (e.g., a mobile phone of the user, atablet of the vehicle) indicating the existence of the condition. Theuser device can provide a communication indicative of the existence ofthe condition to the operations computing system.

The operations computing system can receive the communication anddetermine one or more action(s) to be taken by the vehicle based, atleast in part, on the existence of the condition. At least some of theaction(s) can attempt to alleviate the condition identified by the user.The operations computing system can send control signals to cause theautonomous vehicle to perform the action(s). For example, in the eventof a severe condition (e.g., very unclean interior) the user can rejectthe autonomous vehicle from providing a vehicle service to the user. Theoperations computing system can send one or more control signal(s) tothe autonomous vehicle to travel to a maintenance location (e.g.,service depot) for cleaning. The operations computing system can alsocause another autonomous vehicle to travel to the user's location toprovide vehicle services to the user (e.g., to transport the user). Inthe event that the condition is less severe, the vehicle may be able toprovide the vehicle service to the user and, afterwards, address thecondition. In such a case, the operations computing system can sendcontrol signal(s) to cause the autonomous vehicle to provide (and/or tocontinue providing) the vehicle services to the user and, then, travelto a maintenance location after completion of the services (e.g.,dropping-off the user at a destination location). The operationscomputing system can provide the user with a discount on the cost of thevehicle services due to the existence of the condition (e.g., crackedwindow).

In some implementations, the operations computing system can determinethe action(s) based, at least in part, on a current demand for thevehicle services. For example, the operations computing system candetermine a current demand based, at least in part, on a volume ofcurrent service requests and/or other factors. As will be furtherdescribed herein, if the demand for the vehicle services outweighs theseverity of the condition (e.g., a cracked window), the operationscomputing system can leave the autonomous vehicle in a service queue(and/or a pool of available vehicles) such that it will continue toprovide vehicle services to requesting users, despite the existence ofthe condition. Once demand has subsided, the vehicle can then travel toa maintenance location.

In some implementations, the operations computing system can beconfigured to confirm the existence of the condition. For instance, theoperations computing system can receive data (e.g., image data)indicative of the condition (e.g., the dirty vehicle interior) from thevehicle's on-board computing system. Such data can be acquired via oneor more system(s) on-board the autonomous vehicle (e.g., image capturedevices). Additionally, or alternatively, the operations computingsystem can receive data (e.g., image data) indicative of the conditionfrom a user device (e.g., the user's mobile phone). The operationscomputing system can process the data provided by the user device andconfirm the existence of the condition. In this way, the operationscomputing system can filter out false user reports and/or avoidunnecessarily taking an autonomous vehicle out-of-service (e.g., bysending it to a maintenance location).

The operations computing system can reward users for reportingconditions associated with the vehicle and/or penalize users providingfalse reports. For instance, in the event the operations computingsystem confirms that the condition does exist (e.g., a window iscracked) the operations computing system can apply a reward (e.g.,increase user rating, monetary discount) to a profile associated withthe user that reported the condition. In the event the operationscomputing system determines that the condition does not exist (e.g., thewindow is not cracked), the operations computing system can apply apenalty (e.g., decrease user rating, monetary fine) to a profileassociated with the user that falsely reported the condition. In someimplementations, the user that caused the condition may be penalized. Assuch, the operations computing system can incentivize accurate reportingof vehicle conditions and disincentivize false reporting.

The systems and methods described herein provide a number of technicaleffects and benefits. For instance, by using its network of serviceusers to report vehicle conditions, the operations computing systems cansave valuable resources that would otherwise be used for coordinatingand deploying maintenance/servicing teams to continuously examine thevehicles. Moreover, the operations computing system can reduce thefrequency with which the vehicles must travel to maintenance locationsfor examination. Instead, such maintenance trips can be dedicated toaddressing reported conditions and/or scheduled maintenance, which iseasier to coordinate and more predictable for the operations computingsystem. This can allow more appropriate determinations as to when toremove a vehicle from a service queue (e.g., to receive maintenance)and/or to bring another autonomous vehicle online to provide vehicleservices to the users. Moreover, by reducing the need for maintenanceteam deployment and/or reducing the frequency of maintenance trips, thesystems and methods can limit the allocation of processing and storageresources that are required for such deployment/coordination. The savedresources can be allocated to other functions of the operationscomputing systems, such as the processing of service requests,generating user interfaces, vehicle routing, etc. In this way, thesystems and methods according to example aspects of the presentdisclosure have a technical effect of providing a computationallyefficient approach to addressing vehicle problems while savingcomputational resources for other, more core functions of the operationscomputing system.

The systems and methods of the present disclosure also provide animprovement to vehicle computing technology, such as autonomous vehiclecomputing technology. For instance, the systems and methods can allowfor receiving a service request for a vehicle service (e.g., indicatinga user location), identifying an autonomous vehicle to provide thevehicle service, sending control signals to the autonomous vehicleindicating that the autonomous vehicle is to travel to the location, andreceiving, from a user device, a communication indicative of anexistence of a condition associated with the autonomous vehicle. Asindicated herein, the condition is identified by a user and thecondition can reduce a suitability of the autonomous vehicle to providethe vehicle service (e.g., to the user). The systems and methods canallow for determining one or more action(s) to be performed by theautonomous vehicle based, at least in part, on the existence of thecondition associated with the autonomous vehicle and sending one or morecontrol signal(s) to the autonomous vehicle to perform one or more ofthe action(s). As such, the systems and methods enable the vehicletechnology to leverage the functions of the operations computing systemto determine and address adverse conditions of the autonomous vehiclethat may not otherwise be detected by the vehicle computing technology.Thus, the systems and methods can allow an autonomous vehicle to addressadverse conditions without adding more complex, expensive, andcomputationally demanding monitoring hardware to the vehicle's computingsystem. The vehicle can save computational resources (e.g., processing,data storage) that may otherwise be used for operating the more robustmonitoring equipment and/or more frequently traveling to maintenancelocations for vehicle examination. Accordingly, the saved processing andstorage resources of the vehicle can be consumed for more critical, corefunctions of the vehicle such as imaging, object detection, autonomousnavigation, etc.

With reference now to the FIGS., example embodiments of the presentdisclosure will be discussed in further detail. FIG. 1 depicts anexample system 100 according to example embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The system 100 can include a vehicle 102 and an operationscomputing system 104. The vehicle 102 can communicate with theoperations computing system 104 via one or more communicationsnetwork(s) 106. The communications network(s) 106 can include variouswired and/or wireless communication mechanisms (e.g., cellular,wireless, satellite, microwave, and/or radio frequency) and/or anydesired network topology (or topologies). For example, the network(s)106 can include a local area network (e.g. intranet), wide area network(e.g. Internet), wireless LAN network (e.g., via Wi-Fi), cellularnetwork, a SATCOM network, VHF network, a HF network, a WiMAX basednetwork, and/or any other suitable communications network (orcombination thereof) for transmitting data to and/or from the vehicle102.

The vehicle 102 can be a ground-based vehicle (e.g., an automobile), anaircraft, and/or another type of vehicle. The vehicle 102 can be anautonomous vehicle that can drive, navigate, operate, etc. with minimaland/or no interaction from a human driver. The autonomous vehicle 102can be configured to operate in one or more mode(s) such as, forexample, a fully autonomous operational mode, a semi-autonomousoperational mode, a park mode, a sleep mode, etc. A fully autonomous(e.g., self-driving) operational mode can be one in which the vehicle102 can provide driving and navigational operation with minimal and/orno interaction from a human driver present in the vehicle. Asemi-autonomous operational mode can be one in which the vehicle 102 canoperate with some interaction from a human driver present in thevehicle. Park and/or sleep modes can be used between operational modeswhile the vehicle 102 waits to provide a subsequent vehicle service,recharges between operational modes, etc.

The vehicle 102 can include a vehicle computing system 108. The vehiclecomputing system 108 can include various components for performingvarious operations and functions. For example, the vehicle computingsystem 108 can include one or more computing device(s) on-board thevehicle 102. The computing device(s) can include one or moreprocessor(s) and one or more memory device(s), each of which areon-board the vehicle 102. The computing device(s) can implement,include, and/or otherwise be associated with various systems on-boardthe vehicle 102. For instance, the vehicle computing system 108 caninclude one or more control system(s) 110, one or more data acquisitionsystem(s) 112, an autonomy system 114 (e.g., including a navigationsystem), one or more human machine interface system(s) 116, othervehicle systems 118, and/or a communications system 120. At least asubset of the system(s) on-board the vehicle 102 can be configured tocommunicate with one another via a network 122. The network 122 caninclude one or more data bus(es) (e.g., controller area network (CAN)),on-board diagnostics connector (e.g., OBD-II), and/or a combination ofwired and/or wireless communication links. The on-board systems can sendand/or receive data, messages, signals, etc. amongst one another via thenetwork 122.

The one or more control system(s) 110 of the vehicle 102 can beconfigured to control one or more features(s) of the vehicle 102. Forexample, the control system(s) 110 can be configured to control themotion of the vehicle 102 such as, for example, acceleration, speed,steering, braking, turn signals, departure, take-off, lift-off, return(e.g., landing), parking, etc. The control system(s) 110 can beconfigured to control one or more other feature(s) of the vehicle 102such as the gears, status of drive, engine, AC system, lights, turnsignals, sound system, microphone, etc. In some implementations, thecontrol system(s) 110 can be configured to control one or more accesspoint(s) of the vehicle 102. The access point(s) can include featuressuch as the vehicle's door locks, trunk lock, hood lock, fuel tankaccess, latches, and/or other mechanical access features that can beadjusted between one or more state(s), position(s), location(s), etc.For example, the control system(s) 110 can be configured to control anaccess point (e.g., door lock) to adjust the access point between afirst state (e.g., lock position) and a second state (e.g., unlockedposition). The control system(s) 110 can also be configured to receivecontrol signals that are indicative of the parameter(s) at which thefeatures and/or access points of the vehicle 102 are to operate.

The data acquisition systems 112 can include various devices configuredto acquire data associated with the vehicle 102. This can include dataassociated with one or more of the vehicle's system(s) (e.g., healthdata), the vehicle's interior, the vehicle's exterior, the vehicle'ssurroundings, the vehicle users, etc. The data acquisition systems 112can include, for example, one or more image capture device(s) 124. Theimage capture device(s) 124 can include one or more camera(s), lightdetection and ranging (or radar) device(s) (LIDAR systems),two-dimensional image capture devices, three-dimensional image capturedevices, static image capture devices, dynamic (e.g., rotating) imagecapture devices, video capture devices (e.g., video recorders), lanedetectors, scanners, optical readers, electric eyes, and/or othersuitable types of image capture devices. The image capture device(s) 124can be located in the interior and/or on the exterior of the vehicle102. The one or more image capture device(s) 124 can be configured toacquire image data to be used for operation of the vehicle 102 in anautonomous mode. For example, the image capture device(s) 124 canacquire image data to allow the vehicle 102 to implement one or moremachine vision technique(s) (e.g., to detect objects in the surroundingenvironment).

Additionally, or alternatively, the data acquisition systems 112 caninclude one or more sensor(s) 126. The sensor(s) 126 can include impactsensors, motion sensors, pressure sensors, temperature sensors, humiditysensors, RADAR, sonar, radios, medium-range and long-range sensors(e.g., for obtaining information associated with the vehicle'ssurroundings), global positioning system (GPS) equipment, proximitysensors, and/or any other types of sensors for obtaining data indicativeof parameter(s) associated with the vehicle 102 and/or relevant to theoperation of the vehicle 102. The data acquisition systems 112 caninclude one or more sensor(s) 126 dedicated to obtaining data associatedwith a particular aspect of the vehicle 102, such as, the vehicle's fueltank, engine, oil compartment, wipers, etc. The sensor(s) 126 can also,or alternatively, include sensor(s) associated with one or moremechanical and/or electrical components of the vehicle 102. For example,one or more of the sensor(s) 126 can be configured to detect whether avehicle door, trunk, gas cap, etc. is in an open or closed position. Insome implementations, the data acquired by the sensor(s) 126 can helpdetect other vehicles and/or objects, road conditions (e.g., curves,potholes, dips, bumps, changes in grade), measure a distance between thevehicle 102 and the other vehicles and/or objects, etc.

The vehicle computing system 108 can also be configured to obtain mapdata. For instance, a computing device of the vehicle 102 (e.g., withinthe autonomy system 114) can be configured to receive map data from oneor more remote computing device(s). This can include computing device(s)of the operations computing system 104 and/or one or more other remotecomputing device(s) (e.g., associated with a geographic mapping serviceprovider). The map data can include two-dimensional and/orthree-dimensional geographic map data associated with the area in whichthe vehicle was, is, intends to, and/or will be travelling. The dataacquired from the data acquisition system(s) 112, the map data, and/orother data can be stored in one or more memory device(s) on-board thevehicle 102.

The autonomy system 114 can be configured to allow the vehicle 102 tooperate in an autonomous mode. For instance, the autonomy system 114 canobtain the data associated with the vehicle 102 (e.g., acquired by thedata acquisition systems 112). The autonomy system 114 can also obtainthe map data. The autonomy system 114 can control various functions ofthe vehicle 102 based, at least in part, on the acquired data associatedwith the vehicle 102 and/or the map data to implement the autonomousmode. For example, the autonomy system 114 can include various models toperceive road features, signage, and/or objects, people, animals, etc.based, at least in part, on the data acquired by the data acquisitionsystem(s) 112, map data, and/or other data. In some implementations, theautonomy system 114 can include machine-learned models that use the dataacquired by the data acquisition system(s) 112, the map data, and/orother data to help operate the autonomous vehicle. Moreover, theacquired data can help detect other vehicles and/or objects, roadconditions (e.g., curves, potholes, dips, bumps, changes in grade, orthe like), measure a distance between the vehicle 102 and other vehiclesor objects, etc. The autonomy system 114 can be configured to predictthe position and/or movement (or lack thereof) of such elements (e.g.,using one or more odometry techniques). The autonomy system 114 can beconfigured to plan the motion of the vehicle 102 based, at least inpart, on such predictions. The autonomy system 114 can implement theplanned motion to appropriately navigate the vehicle 102 with minimal orno human intervention. For instance, the autonomy system 114 can includea navigation system configured to direct the vehicle 102 to adestination location. The autonomy system 114 can send signals to thecontrol system(s) 110 to regulate vehicle speed, acceleration,deceleration, steering, and/or operation of other components to operatein an autonomous mode to travel to such a destination location.

The human machine interface system(s) 116 can be configured to allowinteraction between a user (e.g., human), the vehicle 102 (e.g., thevehicle computing system 108), and/or a third party (e.g., an operatorassociated with the service provider). The human machine interfacesystem(s) 116 can include a variety of interfaces for the user to inputand/or receive information from the vehicle computing system 108. Forexample, the human machine interface system(s) 116 can include agraphical user interface, direct manipulation interface, web-based userinterface, touch user interface, attentive user interface,conversational and/or voice interfaces (e.g., via text messages, chatterrobot), conversational interface agent, interactive voice response (IVR)system, gesture interface, and/or other types of interfaces. The humanmachine interface system(s) 116 can include one or more input device(s)(e.g., touchscreens, keypad, touchpad, knobs, buttons, sliders,switches, mouse, gyroscope, microphone, other hardware interfaces)configured to receive user input. The human machine interface(s) 116 canalso include one or more output device(s) (e.g., display devices,speakers, lights) to receive and output data associated with theinterfaces. As will be further described herein, the human-machineinterface systems can include and/or be associated with one or more userdevice(s) of the vehicle 102 (e.g., a tablet within the interior of thevehicle 102 that is connected to the vehicle 102).

The other vehicle systems 118 can be configured to control and/ormonitor other aspects of the vehicle 102. For instance, the othervehicle systems 118 can include software update monitors, an enginecontrol unit, transmission control unit, the on-board memory devices,etc. By way of example, the software update monitors can provide dataindicative of a current status of the software running on one or more ofthe on-board system(s) and/or whether the respective system requires asoftware update.

The communications system 120 can be configured to allow the vehiclecomputing system 108 (and its sub-systems) to communicate with othercomputing devices. In some implementations, the vehicle computing system108 can use the communications system 120 to communicate with one ormore remote computing device(s) that are remote from the vehicle 102,such as those of the operations computing system 104 (e.g., over thenetwork(s) 106 via wireless connections). The communications system 120can include any suitable components for interfacing with one or morenetwork(s), including for example, transmitters, receivers, ports,controllers, antennas, or other suitable components that can helpfacilitate communication with one or more computing device(s).

The operations computing system 104 can be associated with a serviceprovider that provides one or more vehicle service(s) to a plurality ofusers via a fleet of vehicles that includes, for example, the vehicle102. The service provider can be an entity that organizes, coordinates,manages, etc. one or more vehicle service(s) for users. The vehicleservice(s) can include transportation services (e.g., rideshareservices), courier services, delivery services, and/or other types ofservices. The vehicle 102 (and others in the fleet) can be configured toprovide the vehicle service(s) to the users. A user can be a user thathas downloaded a software application associated with the serviceprovider, a user that has made a service request with the serviceprovider, a user that is a customer of the service provider, a user thathas registered with (e.g., signed-up with, has an account with, has aprofile with, has subscribed to) the service provider, a current user ofthe vehicle, a potential user of the vehicle, a user that has beenpaired with the vehicle, etc. The service provider can coordinate aplurality of vehicles, including the vehicle 102, to provide the vehicleservice(s) to a plurality of users. Such coordination can be performedvia the operations computing system 104.

The operations computing system 104 can include multiple components forperforming various operations and functions. For example, the operationscomputing system 104 can include and/or otherwise be associated with oneor more computing device(s) 128 that are remote from the vehicle 102.The one or more computing device(s) 128 can include one or moreprocessor(s) and one or more memory device(s). The one or more memorydevice(s) can store instructions that when executed by the one or moreprocessor(s) cause the one or more processor(s) to perform operationsand functions, such as those for addressing a user-reported vehiclecondition. For example, the computing device(s) 128 can be configured tomonitor and communicate with the vehicle 102 and/or its users tocoordinate a vehicle service provided by the vehicle 102.

The computing device(s) 128 can receive a service request 130 for avehicle service. For example, a user 132 can operate a user device 134to generate and transmit a service request 130 (e.g., for transportationservices) to the computing device(s) 128. In some implementations, theuser device 134 can include a software application associated with theservice provider via which the user 132 can provide the service request130 for a vehicle service. In some implementations, the user 132 caninteract with a user interface provided by the software application tospecify a service type, a vehicle type, one or more location(s) (e.g.,origin, destination), etc. and select one or more element(s) to causethe software application to generate and transmit the service request130.

The service request 130 can include a variety of information associatedwith the user 132, the requested vehicle service, and/or the vehicle.For instance, the service request 130 can be indicative of the user 132associated with the service request 130. By way of example, the servicerequest 130 can include an ID associated with an account and/or profileof the user 132 and/or the user device 134 associated with the user 132(e.g., a user name, user ID, a hash of the user name and/or user ID, anID corresponding to the user device). The service request 130 can alsobe indicative of one or more location(s). For example, the servicerequest 130 can be indicative of an origin location (e.g., pick-uplocation for transport, courier), a destination location, a deliverylocation, etc. The service request 130 can be indicative of a locationassociated with the user 132 (e.g., that provided the service request130 via the user device 134). A location can be indicated as a locationdata point (e.g., such as a latitude and a longitude), a semanticlocation (e.g., “City A Natural History Museum”), and/or another type ofidentifier. For example, a pick-up location can correspond to a currentlocation of the user device 134 that is determined by a globalpositioning system (GPS) resource of the user device 134. The userdevice 134 (and/or a software application) can receive the currentlocation and include the current location as a location in the servicerequest 130. The service request 130 can also include other informationsuch as a service type (e.g., indicating the type of vehicle servicebeing requested), a vehicle type information (e.g., indicating what typeof vehicle is preferred), and/or a payment identifier (e.g., associatedwith a user account and/or profile).

The computing device(s) 128 of the operation computing system canidentify a vehicle to provide the vehicle service requested by theservice request 130. To do so, the computing device(s) 128 can manage aservice queue to provide the user 132 with one or more vehicleservice(s) of the service provider. For instance, FIG. 2 depicts anexample service queue 200 according to example embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The vehicle 102 can be included in a plurality ofvehicles (e.g., a fleet of vehicles) associated with the serviceprovider. Each vehicle in the plurality of vehicles can be configured toprovide the vehicle services of the service provider. The service queue200 can identify at least a subset of the plurality of vehiclesassociated with the service provider that are available to provide thevehicle service. For example, the vehicles in the service queue 200 canbe identified by an identifier 202A-C associated with the respectivevehicle. The queue can also include identifiers 204A-C associated withthe respective users (e.g., that are requesting service). This can beindicative of a currently pending volume of service requests. Theservice queue 200 can include a data structure which can be stored in amedium such as a cache and/or other memory resource. The service queue200 can be an aggregation of data items, some of which can be used toidentify a particular vehicle that is available to provide a vehicleservice.

A selection process can be associated with the service queue 200 inorder to pair one or more user(s) with a vehicle that can provide thevehicle service requested by the user(s). The selection process can bebased, at least in part, on one or more factor(s). The factor(s) caninclude vehicle availability, user location, vehicle location, servicetype, vehicle type, user rating, vehicle rating, other informationindicated in the service request 130, and/or other factors. Thecomputing device(s) 128 can assign a vehicle to a user based, at leastin part, on the selection process. For example, the computing device(s)128 can select vehicle 102 (e.g., associated with identifier 202A) toprovide the requested vehicle service for user 132 (e.g., associatedwith identifier 204A).

Returning to FIG. 1, the computing device(s) 128 of the operationscomputing system 104 can instruct the vehicle 102 to provide therequested vehicle services. For instance, the computing device(s) 128can send one or more first control signal(s) 136 to the vehicle 102indicating that the vehicle 102 is to travel to a location (e.g.,indicated in the service request 130, associated with the user 132). Thefirst control signal(s) 136 can be provided to the vehicle 102 via oneor more of the network(s) 106. The first control signal(s) 136 canindicate one or more of a location to which the vehicle 102 is to travel(e.g., the location of the user), the type of vehicle service to beprovided, a destination location (e.g., to where the user 132 is to betransported), etc. The vehicle computing system 108 can receive thefirst control signal(s) 136 (e.g., via the communication system(s) 120).The vehicle computing system 108 can process the first control signal(s)136 to determine what the vehicle 102 is to do in response thereto. Thevehicle computing system 108 can then cause the vehicle 102 to act inaccordance with the first control signal(s) 136. For example, theautonomy system 114 and/or the control systems 110 can cause the vehicle102 to travel to a location associated with the user 132 (and/orindicated in the service request 130) to provide the vehicle services tothe user (e.g., pick-up the user for transportation).

A user can identify a condition 138 associated with the vehicle 102. Theuser that identifies the condition 138 associated with the vehicle 102can be the user 132 associated with the service request 130 and/oranother user. The condition 138 can be a condition (e.g., an adversecondition) that reduces a suitability of the vehicle 102 to provide avehicle service (e.g., to the user 132 and/or another user). Forinstance, the condition 138 can alter the appropriateness, ability,capability, state, performance, etc. of the vehicle 102 to provide thevehicle services to the user 132 and/or can affect (e.g., negatively)the user's experience with the vehicle 102. The user 132 may identifythe condition 138 before and/or after entering the vehicle 102 orreceiving a vehicle service from the vehicle 102 (e.g., while riding inthe vehicle). In some implementations, the condition 138 can be severe,rendering the vehicle 102 unsuitable to provide the vehicle service tothe user 132. For example, before entering the vehicle 102 and/or usingthe vehicle services (e.g., transportation, courier services), the user132 may identify that the interior of the vehicle 102 is very unclean tothe point that the user 132 would not be willing to ride in the vehicle102, place a package in the vehicle 102, etc. In some implementations,the condition 138 can be less severe, reducing (but not eliminating) thevehicle's suitability to provide the vehicle service to the user 132.For example, while riding in the vehicle 102, the user 132 may identifythat a window of the vehicle 102 is cracked.

The user 132 can provide user input to a user device indicating theexistence of the condition. In some implementations, the user 132 canprovide user input to a device of the user 132 (e.g., the user's mobilephone). This may be the user device 134 that was used to provide theservice request to the operations computing system 104. In someimplementations, the user 132 can provide user input to a user devicethat is associated with the vehicle. Such a user device (e.g., a tablet)can be located in the interior of the vehicle 102 and can becommunicatively connected (e.g., physically, wireless) to the vehiclecomputing system 108. A user device associated with the vehicle 102 canbe kept in the interior of the vehicle 102 such that different users ofthe vehicle 102 may interact with such a user device.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example user device 300 according to exampleembodiments of the present disclosure. The user device 300 can be theuser device 134 (e.g., mobile user device) associated with the user 132.Such a user device 300 may not be communicatively coupled or otherwiseconfigured to communicate with the vehicle computing system 108.Alternatively, the user device 300 can be a user device associated withthe vehicle 102 that is communicatively coupled to the vehicle computingsystem 108.

The user device 300 can be configured to display a user interface 302via a display device 304 of the user device 300. The user device 300 canbe configured to receive user input 306. User input 306 can be providedvia interaction with the user interface 302, voice recognition, gesturerecognition, etc. The user input 306 can be indicative of the existenceof the condition 138 and/or a rejection of the vehicle 102. Forinstance, the user 132 can interact with one or more element(s) 308 ofthe user interface 302 to provide user input 306 indicative of theexistence of a condition 138 (e.g., an adverse condition) associatedwith the vehicle 102. By way of example, the user 132 can interact withelement(s) 308 to indicate that the vehicle 102 has a cracked passengerwindow. Moreover, the user 132 can interact with one or more element(s)310 of the user interface 302 to provide user input 306 indicative ofone or more characteristic(s) 312 associated with the condition 138(e.g., type, location, suitability of vehicle, or the like). Forexample, the user 132 can interact with element(s) 310 to indicate thatthe cracked window is an aesthetic (and/or mechanical issue) located onthe right-passenger side of the vehicle 102. In some implementations,the user interface 302 can include one or more element(s) 314 with whichthe user 132 can interact to include, upload, send, etc. one or moreimages, videos, illustrations, representations, or the like of thecondition 138. For example, the user 132 can capture an image of acracked window using a camera function of the user device 300.

In some implementations, the user 132 can interact with one or moreelement(s) 316 of the user interface 302 to provide user input 306 toreject the vehicle 102. For example, the user 132 may desire to rejectthe vehicle 102 in the event that the condition 138 is particularlysevere (e.g., a shattered window significantly reducing the suitabilityof the vehicle 102 to provide the vehicle service). Accordingly, theuser 132 can interact with the element(s) 316 to reject the vehicle 102such that it will not provide vehicle services to the user 132. In someimplementations, the user 132 can reject the vehicle 102 via voiceinteraction and/or gesture interaction with the user device 300. Forexample, the user device 300 can be associated with a vehicle 102 andcan be configured to receive user input without the user 132 having toenter the vehicle (e.g., outwardly facing from the vehicle). The user132 can speak into and/or gesture at one or more input device(s) of theuser device 300 to provide user input rejecting the vehicle 102.

The user device 300 can be configured to receive the user input 306(e.g., indicative of the existence of the condition, rejection). Theuser device 300 can process the user input 306 to generate acommunication indicative of the information provided by the user input306 (e.g., condition existence, characteristics, image). The user device300 can be configured to send a communication 318 indicative of anexistence of the condition 138 associated with the vehicle 102 and/orthe other information described herein (e.g., the characteristics of thecondition, image of condition, rejection of vehicle, or the like). Theuser device 300 can send such a communication 318 to the operationscomputing system 104. In some implementations, in the event that theuser device 300 is a user device associated with the vehicle 102, thevehicle computing system 108 may provide the communication 318indicative of the existence of the condition 138 (e.g., via thecommunication system(s) 120) to the operations computing system 104.

Returning to FIG. 1, the computing device(s) 128 of the operationscomputing system 104 can receive, from the user device 300, thecommunication 318 indicative of the existence of the condition 138(e.g., adverse condition) associated with the vehicle 102. As indicatedabove, the condition 138 is identified by a user. The communication 318indicative of the existence of the condition 138 associated with thevehicle 102 can indicate that the vehicle 102 is not suitable to providethe vehicle service to the user 132. As described above, in someimplementations, the communication 318 indicative of the existence ofthe condition 138 can be a rejection by the user 132 of the vehicle 102for the vehicle service. The rejection can indicate the user 132 isunwilling to utilize the vehicle 102 for one or more of the vehicleservice(s).

The computing device(s) 128 can be configured to determine one or moreaction(s) to be performed by the vehicle 102 based, at least in part, onthe condition 138 associated with the vehicle 102. At least some of theaction(s) can attempt to alleviate the condition 138 identified by theuser 132. The computing device(s) 128 can be configured to send one ormore second control signal(s) 140 to the vehicle 102 to perform one ormore of the action(s).

For example, FIG. 4 illustrates a graphical representation 400 of thevehicle 102 in a geographic area 402 according to example embodiments ofthe present disclosure. The computing device(s) 128 of the operationscomputing system 104 can receive a service request 130 that isindicative of a location 404 (e.g., associated with a user). Thelocation 404 can be a current and/or future location of the user 132providing the service request 130 and/or another user. The computingdevice(s) 128 can provide, to the vehicle 102, one or more first controlsignal(s) 136 indicating that the vehicle 102 is to travel to thelocation 404. Before, and/or after, the user 132 enters (and/orotherwise uses) the vehicle 102, the user 132 can identify a condition138 associated with the vehicle 102.

By way of example, in the event of a severe condition (e.g., veryunclean interior) the user 132 can reject the vehicle 102 from providinga vehicle service to the user 132. The computing device(s) 128 can sendone or more second control signal(s) 140 to the vehicle to travel to amaintenance location 406 (e.g., service depot) for cleaning.Additionally, or alternatively, the computing device(s) 128 can instructanother vehicle 408 to travel to the location 404 to provide vehicleservices to the user 132 (e.g., to transport the user). For instance,the computing device(s) 128 can provide one or more third controlsignal(s) 142 (e.g., shown in FIG. 1) to another vehicle 408 that isconfigured to provide the vehicle service. The third control signal(s)142 can indicate that the other vehicle 408 is to travel to the location404 associated with the user 132.

In some implementations, the computing device(s) 128 can adjust aservice queue to pair the user 132 that rejected the vehicle 102 withanother vehicle 408. For instance, as shown in FIG. 5, the computingdevice(s) 128 can adjust the service queue 200 such that the user 132(e.g., associated with identifier 204A) is given priority over otherusers that have not yet been paired with a vehicle. In this way, thecomputing device(s) 128 can help to expedite the user 132 being providedwith the other vehicle 408.

Returning to FIG. 1, in another example, in the event that the conditionis less severe (e.g., cracked window), the vehicle 102 may be able toprovide one or more of the vehicle service(s) to the user 132 and,afterwards, address the condition 138. In such a case, the computingdevice(s) 128 can send control signal(s) 136 to cause the vehicle 102 toprovide (and/or continue providing) the vehicle services to the user 132and, then, travel to a maintenance location 406 after completion of thevehicle services (e.g., dropping-off the user 132 and/or a package at adestination location). In some implementations, the computing device(s)128 can provide a user with a discount on the cost of the vehicleservices due to the existence of the condition 138 (e.g., crackedwindow).

In some implementations, the computing device(s) 128 can determine theone or more action(s) based, at least in part, on a demand (e.g., past,current, future) for the vehicle services. For example, the computingdevice(s) 128 can determine a volume of service requests for the vehicleservice. The volume of service requests can be based, at least in part,on the number of service requests previously received for a time period(e.g., similar time period), currently pending in the service queue 200(e.g., as in FIG. 2), predicted for a certain time period, etc. Thevolume of service requests can be indicative of a demand for the vehicleservices. The computing device(s) 128 can determine the one or moreaction(s) to be performed by the vehicle 102 based, at least in part, onthe existence of the condition 138 and the volume of service requestsfor the vehicle service. For example, if the volume of the servicerequests is high and the condition 138 is minor (e.g., slightly crackedwindow) such that the vehicle 102 is still capable of providing thevehicle service(s) and/or only slightly less suitable to provide thevehicle services, the computing device(s) 128 can wait to take thevehicle out-of-service. For instance, the computing device(s) 128 canleave the vehicle 102 in a service queue 200 such that it will continueto provide vehicle services to requesting users, despite the existenceof the condition 138. Once demand has subsided (and/or is predicted tosubside), the computing device(s) 128 can send control signalsinstructing the vehicle 102 to travel to a maintenance location 406(e.g., to have the slight crack addressed).

In some implementations, the computing device(s) 128 can be configuredto confirm the existence of the condition 138. For instance, in theevent that a condition 138 is reported to the computing device(s) 128,the computing device(s) 128 can provide one or more control signal(s) tothe vehicle 102 to instruct the image capture device(s) 124 of thevehicle 102 to acquire imagery of the condition 138. The image capturedevice(s) 124 can acquire image data indicative of the condition 138.The one or more system(s) on-board the vehicle 102 can provide data 144indicative of the condition 138 to the computing device(s) 128. Thecomputing device(s) 128 can receive the data 144 (e.g., image data)indicative of the condition 138 (e.g., the dirty vehicle interior) fromthe system(s) on-board the vehicle 102. In some implementations, thecomputing device(s) 128 can acquire the data 144 in real-time and/ornear real-time (e.g., while the user 132 is still accompanying thevehicle 102). In some implementations, a human operator associated withthe service provider may communicate with the user 132 (e.g., via thehuman-machine interface system(s), user device 300) to confirm theexistence of the condition 138 (and/or to pacify the user).

Additionally, or alternatively, the computing device(s) 128 can beconfigured to confirm the existence of the condition 138 based, at leastin part, on communication with a user device. For instance, as indicatedabove, the user 132 can use a user device 300 (e.g., associated with theuser 132, associated with the vehicle 102) to acquire imagery of thecondition 138 (e.g., cracked window). The user device 300 can providedata 146 (e.g., image data) indicative of the condition 138 to thecomputing device(s) 128. The data 146 can be included with or separatefrom the communication 318 (e.g., indicative of the existence of thecondition 138). The computing device(s) 128 can receive the data 146(e.g., image data) indicative of the condition 138 from the user device300 (e.g., the user's mobile phone, tablet of the vehicle). Thecomputing device(s) 128 can process the data 146 provided by the userdevice 300 and confirm the existence of the condition 138. In this way,the operations computing system 104 can be configured to determinewhether the condition 138 associated with the vehicle 102 does or doesnot exist. Accordingly, the computing device(s) 128 can filter out falseuser reports and/or avoid unnecessarily taking a vehicle 102out-of-service (e.g., out of the available service fleet by sending itto a maintenance location).

The computing device(s) 128 can be configured to reward users forreporting a condition 138 associated with the vehicle 102 and/orpenalize users providing false reports. For instance, the computingdevice(s) 128 can apply a reward (e.g., increase user rating, monetarydiscount) to a profile associated with the user 132 (e.g., that reportedthe condition 138) when it is determined that the condition 138associated with the vehicle 102 does exist (e.g., a window is cracked).The computing device(s) 128 can apply a penalty (e.g., decrease userrating, monetary fine) to a profile associated with the user 132 (e.g.,that falsely reported the condition) when it is determined that thecondition 138 associated with the vehicle 102 does not exist.Accordingly, the computing device(s) 128 can incentivize accuratereporting of vehicle conditions and disincentivize false reporting.

In some implementations, the user 132 that caused the condition may bepenalized, if such a user can be identified. The computing device(s) 128can determine a user that caused the condition 138 associated with thevehicle 102. For instance, the computing device(s) 128 (and/or anoperator associated with the service provider) can review previouslycaptured data (e.g., image data of the interior of the vehicle 102) todetermine which user caused the condition associated with the vehicle102 (e.g., caused the vehicle 102 to become unclean). In the event thatsuch a user is identified, the computing device(s) 128 can apply apenalty to a profile associated with the user that is determined to havecaused the condition 138 associated with the autonomous vehicle 102.

FIG. 6 depicts a flow diagram of an example method 600 of addressing auser-reported vehicle condition according to example embodiments of thepresent disclosure. One or more portion(s) of the method 600 can beimplemented by one or more computing device(s) such as, for example, thecomputing device(s) 128 shown in FIGS. 1 and 7. Moreover, one or moreportion(s) of the method 600 can be implemented as an algorithm on thehardware components of the device(s) described herein (e.g., as in FIGS.1 and 7) to, for example, address a user-reported vehicle condition.FIG. 6 depicts elements performed in a particular order for purposes ofillustration and discussion. Those of ordinary skill in the art, usingthe disclosures provided herein, will understand that the elements ofany of the methods discussed herein can be adapted, rearranged,expanded, omitted, combined, and/or modified in various ways withoutdeviating from the scope of the present disclosure.

At (602), the method 600 can include receiving a request for a vehicleservice. For instance, the one or more computing device(s) 128 canreceive a service request 130 for a vehicle service for a user 132. Asindicated herein, the service request 130 can be indicative of alocation (e.g., 404). By way of example, the vehicle service can be atransportation service and the service request 130 can indicate that theuser 132 would like to be picked-up by the vehicle 102 (e.g., anautonomous vehicle) at a current location of the user 132.

At (604), the method 600 can include identifying a vehicle to provide avehicle service. For instance, the computing device(s) 128 can identifya vehicle 102 to provide the vehicle service to the user 132. Thevehicle 102 can be included in a fleet of vehicles of a serviceprovider. As indicated herein, the vehicle 102 can be identified based,at least in part, on a service queue 200 that indicates the vehicles ofthe fleet that may be available to provide the vehicle service (e.g.,the requested transportation service).

At (606), the method 600 can include sending control signal(s) to thevehicle to travel to the location. For instance, the computing device(s)128 can send one or more first control signal(s) 136 to a vehicle 102that is configured to provide the vehicle service. The control signal(s)136 can be provided via one or more network(s) 106. One or more of thefirst control signal(s) 136 can indicate that the vehicle 102 is totravel to the location 404 (e.g., associated with the user 132). Forexample, the computing device(s) 128 can send first control signal(s)136 to the vehicle 102 that was identified to provide the transportationservice to the user 132. The vehicle 102 can receive the first controlsignal(s) 136. Moreover, the vehicle 102 can travel to the location 404associated with the user 132 to provide the vehicle service (e.g., topick-up the user 132 for transportation), in accordance with the controlsignal(s).

At (608), the method 600 can include receiving a communicationindicative of a condition associated with the vehicle. For instance, thecomputing device(s) 128 can receive, from a user device 300, acommunication 318 indicative of an existence of a condition 138associated with the vehicle 102 that reduces a suitability of thevehicle 102 to provide the vehicle service. The condition can beidentified by the user 132. As described herein, the user device 300 canbe a user device 134 associated with the user 132 (e.g., a mobile phoneof the user 132). Alternatively, the user device 300 can be associatedwith the vehicle 102 (e.g., a tablet that is kept inside the vehicle'sinterior). The user device associated with the vehicle 102 can becommunicatively coupled to the vehicle computing system 108.

The user 132 can use the user device 300 to indicate the existence ofthe condition 138 associated with the vehicle 102. The user 132 caninteract with the user device 300 to provide user input 306 indicativeof the condition 138. The user 132 can identify the condition beforeand/or after entering (or otherwise using) the vehicle 102. By way ofexample, the user 132 may notice that the vehicle 102 is unclean beforeentering the vehicle 102. As such, the user 132 may provide user input306 to the user device 300 indicating that that vehicle 102 is uncleanand/or rejecting the vehicle 102. The user device 300 can send acommunication 318 to the computing device(s) 128 indicating theexistence of the condition and/or the rejection.

In some implementations, the user 132 may enter the vehicle 102 (e.g.,before noticing the condition, because he/she is willing to use thevehicle 102 despite the condition). For example, the user 132 can be acurrent rider of the vehicle 102. The condition 138 can be identified bythe user 132 while the user 132 is riding in the vehicle 102 for thetransportation service. The condition 138 can be an adverse condition(e.g., uncleanliness) that reduces a suitability of the vehicle 102 toprovide the transportation service. To report the condition, the user132 can interact with the user device 300 (e.g., of the user, of thevehicle) to provide user input 306 indicating that the vehicle 102 isunclean. The user device 300 can send the communication 318 to thecomputing device(s) 128 to report the condition 138.

At (610), the method 600 can include determining one or more action(s)to be performed by the vehicle. For instance, the computing device(s)128 can determine one or more action(s) to be performed by the vehicle102 based, at least in part, on the existence of the condition 138associated with the vehicle 102. One or more of the action(s) can be toalleviate the condition 138 associated with the vehicle 102. Forexample, the condition 138 can be less severe (e.g., cracked window) andthe user 132 may be willing to use the vehicle 102 for the service. Oneor more of the action(s) can include the vehicle 102 providing (orcontinuing to provide) the vehicle service to the user 132 (e.g.,transport the user 132 to a destination location). Moreover, one or moreof the action(s) can include the vehicle 102 travelling to a maintenancelocation 406 after providing the vehicle service to the user 132 (e.g.,after dropping-off the user 132 at the destination). In this way, thevehicle 102 can provide the vehicle service to the user 132 before beingtaken out-of-service (e.g., out of the available fleet for maintenance).

In some implementations, at least one of the action(s) can include thevehicle 102 travelling to a maintenance location 406 without providingthe vehicle service to the user 132. For example, as described herein,the communication 318 indicative of the existence of the condition 138can be a rejection by the user 132 of the vehicle 102 for the vehicleservice (e.g., transportation). As such, the computing device(s) 128 candetermine that the vehicle 102 should travel to a maintenance location406 without transporting the user 132 to a desired location.

At (612), the method 600 can include providing one or more controlsignal(s) to the vehicle to perform one or more of the action(s). Forinstance, the computing device(s) 128 can provide one or more secondcontrol signal(s) 140 to the vehicle 102 to perform one or more of theaction(s). The vehicle computing system 108 can receive the secondcontrol signal(s) 140. The vehicle computing system 108 can execute theaction(s) in accordance with the second control signal(s) 140. Forexample, the vehicle 102 can travel to a maintenance location 406 inresponse to one or more second control signal(s) 140 indicating such anaction.

In some implementations, at (614), the method 600 can include providingcontrol signal(s) to another vehicle to provide a vehicle service to auser. For instance, the computing device(s) 128 can provide one or morethird control signal(s) 142 to another vehicle 408 (e.g., anotherautonomous vehicle) that is configured to provide the vehicle service.One or more of the third control signal(s) 142 can indicate that theother vehicle 408 is to travel to the location 404 associated with theuser 132. In this way, the computing device(s) 128 can manage theservice provider's fleet of vehicles to provide vehicle services to auser in the event that one or more other vehicle(s) are identified(e.g., by the user) as unsuitable for such a service.

In some implementations, at (616), the method 600 can include confirmingthe existence of the condition. For instance, the computing device(s)128 can confirm the existence of the condition 138. As described herein,in some implementations, this can be accomplished via communication withone or more system(s) on-board the vehicle 102 and/or a user device 300.For example, the computing device(s) 128 can receive data 144 indicativeof the condition 138 (e.g., dirty interior) from one or more system(s)on-board the vehicle 102. The computing device(s) 128 can confirm theexistence of the condition 138 based, at least in part, on the data 144indicative of the condition 138 from the one or more system(s) on-boardthe vehicle 102. Additionally, or alternatively, the computing device(s)128 can receive image data (e.g., photo, video, illustration) indicativeof the condition 138 from the user device (e.g., a mobile user device ofthe user). The computing device(s) 128 can confirm the existence of thecondition 138 based, at least in part, on the image data indicative ofthe condition 138. Additionally, or alternatively, the computingdevice(s) 128 can receive data indicative of the existence (or lackthereof) of the condition 138 from a user device associated with amaintenance location and/or maintenance worker.

In some implementations, the method 600 can include applying a reward toa user and/or applying a penalty to a user. For example, the computingdevice(s) 128 can apply a reward at (618) (e.g., monetary reward,discount, increased user rating) to a profile associated with the user132 when it is confirmed that the condition 138 associated with thevehicle 102 does exist. In some implementations, at (620), the computingdevices 128 can apply a penalty to a profile associated with the user132 when it is determined that the condition 138 associated with thevehicle 102 does not exist (e.g., falsely reported condition). In thisway, the service provider can reward and/or penalize users based, atleast in part, on the existence of the condition 138.

FIG. 7 depicts an example system 700 according to example embodiments ofthe present disclosure. The system 700 can include the operationscomputing system 104, the vehicle computing system 108 (e.g., locatedon-board the vehicle 102), and one or more user device(s) 300. Theoperations computing system 104, the vehicle computing system 108, andone or more user device(s) 300 can be configured to communicate via theone or more network(s) 106 such as those as described herein.

The operations computing system 104 can include the one or morecomputing device(s) 128. The computing device(s) 128 can include one ormore processor(s) 702 and one or more memory 704. The one or moreprocessor(s) 702 can be any suitable processing device (e.g., aprocessor core, a microprocessor, an ASIC, a FPGA, a controller, amicrocontroller, etc.). The processor(s) can be a single processor or aplurality of processors that are operatively and/or selectivelyconnected. The memory 704 can include one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media (e.g., storing computer-readableinstructions), such as RAM, ROM, EEPROM, EPROM, memory devices, magneticdisks, etc., and/or combinations thereof.

The memory 704 can store information that can be accessed by the one ormore processor(s) 702. For instance, the memory device(s) 704 caninclude computer-readable instructions 706 that can be executed by theone or more processor(s) 702. The instructions 706 can be softwarewritten in any suitable programming language or can be implemented inhardware. Additionally, or alternatively, the instructions 706 can beexecuted in logically and/or virtually separate threads on processor(s)702. The instructions 706 can be any set of instructions that whenexecuted by the one or more processor(s) 702 cause the one or moreprocessor(s) 702 to perform operations.

For example, the memory 704 can store instructions 706 that whenexecuted by the one or more processor(s) 702 cause the one or moreprocessor(s) 702 to perform operations such as any of the operations andfunctions of the computing device(s) 128 or for which the computingdevice(s) 128 are configured, as described herein, the operations foraddressing a user-reported vehicle condition (e.g., one or moreportion(s) of method 600), and/or any other operations or functions foraddressing a user-reported vehicle condition, as described herein.

The one or more memory device(s) 704 can store data 708 that can beretrieved, manipulated, created, and/or stored by the one or moreprocessor(s) 702. The data 708 can include, for instance, dataassociated with the fleet of vehicles of the service provider, dataassociated with a service queue, data associated with one or moreservice request(s), data associated with a volume of service requests,data associated with one or more user(s), data associated with locations(e.g., of vehicles, users), data associated with control signals, dataassociated with actions to be performed by a vehicle, data associatedwith maintenance locations, data associated with a condition, dataindicative of user input, data indicative of a confirmation of acondition, data acquired by a system on-board a vehicle and/or a userdevice, and/or other data or information. The data 708 can be stored inone or more database(s). The one or more database(s) can be split up sothat they are located in multiple locales. In some implementations, thecomputing device(s) 128 can obtain data from one or more memorydevice(s) that are remote from the computing device(s) 128.

The computing device(s) 128 can also include communication interface 710used to communicate with the vehicle computing system 108 and/or theuser device(s) 300 (e.g., over the network(s) 106). The communicationinterface 710 can include any suitable components for interfacing withone or more network(s), including for example, transmitters, receivers,ports, controllers, antennas, or other suitable hardware and/orsoftware.

The user device(s) 300 can be various types of computing devices. Forexample, the user device(s) 300 can include a phone, a smart phone, atablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, acomputerized watch (e.g., a smart watch), computerized eyewear,computerized headwear, other types of wearable computing devices, agaming system, a media player, an e-book reader, and/or other types ofcomputing devices. The user device(s) 300 can be associated with a user(e.g., 132). The user device(s) 300 can be associated with a vehicle(e.g., 102). For example, the user device(s) 300 described herein canalso be representative of a user device that can be included in thehuman machine interface system of the vehicle 102 (e.g., a user deviceconnected to the vehicle computing system 108).

The user device 300 can also include one or more input device(s) 712and/or one or more output device(s) 714. In the event that the userdevice 300 is associated with a vehicle, the input device(s) 712 and/orthe output device(s) 714 can be included and/or otherwise associatedwith one or more human-machine interface system(s) of the vehicle. Theinput devices 712 can include, for example, hardware for receivinginformation from a user, such as a touch screen, touch pad, mouse, dataentry keys, speakers, a microphone suitable for voice recognition,imaging devices and/or sensors for gesture recognition technology, etc.The output device(s) 714 can include one or more display device(s)(e.g., display screen, CRT, LCD) and/or one or more audio outputdevice(s) (e.g., speakers). The display device(s) and/or the audiooutput device(s) can be used to facilitate communication with a user.For example, a human operator (e.g., associated with a service provider)can communicate with a current user of a vehicle via at least one of thedisplay device(s) and the audio output device(s).

The technology discussed herein makes reference to computing devices,databases, software applications, and other computer-based systems, aswell as actions taken and information sent to and from such systems. Oneof ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the inherentflexibility of computer-based systems allows for a great variety ofpossible configurations, combinations, and divisions of tasks andfunctionality between and among components. For instance,computer-implemented processes discussed herein can be implemented usinga single computing device or multiple computing devices working incombination. Databases and applications can be implemented on a singlesystem or distributed across multiple systems. Distributed componentscan operate sequentially or in parallel.

Furthermore, computing tasks discussed herein as being performed atcomputing device(s) remote from the vehicle (e.g., the operationscomputing system and its associated computing device(s)) can instead beperformed at the vehicle (e.g., via the vehicle computing system). Suchconfigurations can be implemented without deviating from the scope ofthe present disclosure.

While the present subject matter has been described in detail withrespect to specific example embodiments and methods thereof, it will beappreciated that those skilled in the art, upon attaining anunderstanding of the foregoing can readily produce alterations to,variations of, and equivalents to such embodiments. Accordingly, thescope of the present disclosure is by way of example rather than by wayof limitation, and the subject disclosure does not preclude inclusion ofsuch modifications, variations and/or additions to the present subjectmatter as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method of addressing auser-reported vehicle condition, the method comprising: receiving, by acomputing system comprising one or more computing devices that areremote from an autonomous vehicle, a service request for atransportation service for a user; communicating, by the computingsystem with the autonomous vehicle, to indicate that the autonomousvehicle is to provide the transportation service; receiving, by thecomputing system from a user device, a communication indicative of anexistence of a condition associated with the autonomous vehicle thatreduces a suitability of the autonomous vehicle to provide thetransportation service, wherein the condition is indicated by the uservia user input provided to the user device; determining, by thecomputing system, one or more actions to be performed by the autonomousvehicle based, at least in part, on the existence of the conditionassociated with the autonomous vehicle; and sending by the computingsystem, one or more signals such that the autonomous vehicle performsone or more of the actions, wherein the actions comprise the autonomousvehicle transporting the user and travelling to a maintenance locationafter transporting the user or the autonomous vehicle travelling to themaintenance location without transporting the user.
 2. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the communicationindicative of the existence of the condition is a rejection by the userof the autonomous vehicle for the transportation service.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:communicating, by the computing system with another autonomous vehicle,to indicate that the other autonomous vehicle is to provide thetransportation service to the user.
 4. The computer-implemented methodof claim 2, wherein the rejection is associated with the user input,wherein the user input is provided to a user interface displayed on theuser device.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein theuser input is indicative of one or more characteristics associated withthe condition.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising: confirming, by the computing system, the existence of thecondition.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, whereinconfirming the existence of the condition comprises: receiving, by thecomputing system, data indicative of the condition from one or moresystems on-board the autonomous vehicle; and confirming, by thecomputing system, the existence of the condition based, at least inpart, on the data indicative of the condition from the one or moresystems on-board the autonomous vehicle.
 8. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 7, wherein confirming the existence of the conditioncomprises: receiving, by the computing system, image data indicative ofthe condition from the user device; and confirming, by the computingsystem, the existence of the condition based, at least in part, on theimage data indicative of the condition.
 9. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein the user device is a mobile device of theuser.
 10. A system for addressing a user-reported vehicle condition, thesystem comprising: one or more processors; and one or more memorydevices, the one or more memory devices storing instructions that whenexecuted by the one or more processors cause the one or more processorsto perform operations, the operations comprising: receiving a servicerequest for a transportation service; identifying an autonomous vehicleto provide the transportation service; communicating, with theautonomous vehicle, to indicate that the autonomous vehicle is toprovide the transportation service; receiving, from a user device, acommunication indicative of an existence of a condition associated withthe autonomous vehicle, wherein the condition reduces a suitability ofthe autonomous vehicle to provide the transportation service, andwherein the condition is indicated by a user via user input provided tothe user device; sending one or more signals such that the autonomousvehicle performs one or more of the actions based, at least in part, onthe existence of the condition associated with the autonomous vehicle,wherein the actions comprise the autonomous vehicle transporting theuser and travelling to a maintenance location after transporting theuser or the autonomous vehicle travelling to the maintenance locationwithout transporting the user.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein thecommunication indicative of the existence of the condition associatedwith the autonomous vehicle indicates that the autonomous vehicle is notsuitable to provide the transportation service to the user.
 12. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein the user device is a mobile deviceassociated with the user, and wherein the user device is configured todisplay a user interface via a display device of the user device, andwherein the user input is provided via interaction with the userinterface.
 13. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations furthercomprise: determining a volume of service requests for thetransportation service, and wherein one or more of the actions are basedat least in part on the existence of the condition and the volume ofservice requests for the transportation service.
 14. The system of claim10, wherein the operations further comprise: determining whether thecondition associated with the autonomous vehicle does or does not exist.15. The system of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:applying a reward to a profile associated with the user when it isdetermined that the condition associated with the autonomous vehicledoes exist or a penalty to the profile associated with the user when itis determined that the condition associated with the autonomous vehicledoes not exist.
 16. The system of claim 14, wherein the reward comprisesat least one of an increase in a user rating or a monetary discount forthe vehicle service.
 17. One or more tangible, non-transitorycomputer-readable media storing computer-readable instructions that whenexecuted by one or more processors cause the one or more processors toperform operations, the operations comprising: receiving a servicerequest for a transportation service for a user; identifying anautonomous vehicle to provide the transportation service to the user,wherein the autonomous vehicle is included in a fleet of vehicles of aservice provider; receiving, from a user device, a communicationindicative of an existence of an adverse condition associated with theautonomous vehicle, wherein the adverse condition is identified by theuser via user input provided to the user device; determining one or moreactions to be performed by the autonomous vehicle based, at least inpart, on the existence of the adverse condition associated with theautonomous vehicle; and sending, one or more signals such that theautonomous vehicle performs one or more of the actions, wherein theactions comprise the autonomous vehicle transporting the user andtravelling to a maintenance location after transporting the user or theautonomous vehicle travelling to the maintenance location withouttransporting the user.
 18. The one or more tangible, non-transitorycomputer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the adverse conditionreduces a suitability of the autonomous vehicle to provide thetransportation service.
 19. The one or more tangible, non-transitorycomputer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the user device isassociated with the autonomous vehicle.
 20. The one or more tangible,non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the userdevice is a mobile device of the user.